XIV Monday Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Gn 28:10-22a
Ps 91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab
Mt 9:18-26

Today’s first reading speaks of Jacob’s ladder. Jacob takes a rock from the shrine and uses it as a pillow. Then he has this dream or vision of God’s messengers going to and from heaven on this ladder and then promise of an inheritance of land, descendents, and the Lord’s blessings – a promise of constant fidelity – that God will never leave him. This is a powerful dream and when Jacob wakes from his sleep, he exclaims his wonder and excitement. He takes that rock and sets up a memorial and pours oil on it, anointing it – exclaiming that this is the place where God dwells and a gateway to heaven.

I thought it was kind of funny that he would take that much interest in a rock – setting up a memorial and anointing it with oil. It’s just a rock right? (On a side note, please do not take any bricks or rocks from St. Joseph when you go home today. I don’t think you will have any visions.) Our responsorial psalm today says that we place our trust in God. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something about Independence Day and today’s responsorial psalm lends itself to that. I cannot help but think about what we put on our money – “In God we trust” on our money, rather than putting our money on God. God is our rock and our foundation – all our trust then is on Him. And this is why Jacob wanted to honor the rock in a special way. The rock that Jacob takes is not God, but it gives him something tangible and physical on which to hold. It serves as a reminder of an encounter with God and the promise that God has given him. The attachment to the physical place serves as a ladder or a means to encounter God. The shrine and the rock he took from the shrine was what allowed Jacob to have this vision.

What I think is so amazing about our faith and specifically the Catholic faith is that we have that same connection as Jacob. The physical rock, the physical place connects us to the heavens. We come from all over to worship here in this sanctuary. We offer sacrifice to God the Father through Jesus Christ and the altar that you see here was also anointed with oil before it was first used. This is a holy place, this is the place where the ladder from earth to heaven and heaven to earth. On this spot, every single day of the year and every time we offer Mass, there is a ladder that goes to heaven. We send our prayers – our burdens, sacrifices, joys, thanksgiving, and sacrifices, like incense rising up in the air. What comes back from heaven? The Bread of Life, the Eucharist. Angels carry our prayers and sacrifice up to heaven and the Lord comes down to be with us in the Eucharist. The altar is called the “axis mundi” – the axis of the world – where Earth offers up and heaven kisses earth with the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.